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No. 300,570. Patented June 17, 1884.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT @EETEE.

ROBERT CENTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CENTER-BOARD WELL FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 300,570, dated June 17, 1884.

Application filed February 26, 1884. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ROBERT CENTER, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York city, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Center-Board W'ell for Vessels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to wells formed in vessels for receiving the center-board; and it consists in a well extending from the keel through the deck, having vertical forward and after head-ledges provided with heavy upper trunklogs, into which the deck-timbers are framed, and furnished with checks placed between the trunk-logs, with bolts extending through the trunk-logs and checks to stiffen the vessel and prevent it from working.

It further consists of a hand-tight plank closing the center-board well above the checks, with the exception of asmall aperture through which to reeve the pennant. I

It further consists in hand-tight pieces inserted in hatch-combings for closing the slot through which the center-board is raised.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line a; as in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of my improvement applied to an iron vessel. 4 and 5 show hatch-combings and hand-pieces. Figs. (3 and 7 represent modifications in which the checks and bolts are placed above the deck.

The lower trunk-logs, A A, rest upon the keel B, and the sides of the trunk C are built upon the lower trunk-logs, A A, in the usual manner. The upper trunk. -logs, D D, are heavier than the logs of which the sides of the trunk are formed, and the deck-beams E E, &c., are framed into the upper trunk-logs, D D, and support the deck-plank F in the usual manner. The front and rear head-ledges, 1 2, extend from the keel to the deck parallel with each other, and asufficient distance apart to admit of easily raising the center-board out of the well. Chocks G, of a length equal to the width of the center-board well, are placed at suitable intervals between the upper trunklogs, D D, and stay-bolts H pass through the upper trunk-logs and through the checks and bind the trunk-logs. firmly against the ends of the checks. These bolts and chocks, in connection with the heavy upper trunk-logs, are more than sufficient to supply any loss of strength consequent upon cutting the deckbeams.

To render the deck continuous over the center-board well, a hand-tight plank, I, is fitted to the top of the well, closing it with the exception of a small aperture through which to reeve the pennant J, which raises and lowers the center-board. The Windlass K, by which the center-board is operated, is placed at the end of the centeuboard well, and the pennant J runs over a sheave, L, journaled in open bearings a, placed on the deck at the sides of the center-board well. Where the center-board well intersects the combing of a hatch or skylight a slot, 1), with grooves at either side, is formed in the combingto receive a hand-tight piece, 0, fitted thereto, and having the same shape as the combing, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5.

When my improvement is applied to iron vessels, the center-board well is formed of iron plates M, riveted to bars of angle-iron placed at suitable intervals and stayed by plate-knees O, secured to the iron deck-beams N and to the bars of angle-iron. Along the sides of the center-board well and across the ends thereof ledger-plates d are secured to the iron deckbeams to stiffen the framing of the vessel at that point. Sleeves I of a length equal to the width of the centenboard well, are placed between the plates M at suitable intervals, near the top of the well, and bolts Q, pass through the plates M and sleeves 1?, binding the said plates.

WVhen a vessel is designed to carry a cargo that will entirely fill the space beneath the deck, so that it would beimpossible to remove the bolts which bind the two sides of the well together when the said bolts are located below the deck, the upper trunklogs, D D, or the iron plates M M are extended above the deck a sufficient distance to receive the bolts H or Q above the deck.

To unship the center-board its pivotal pin is removed, and the hand-tight plank I, also ing through both keel and deck, and provided Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A center-board well for vessels, extendwith forward and after head-ledges, and having heavy upper trunk-logs into which the beams are framed, and provided with stay- 2O bolts and checks or sleeves above and below the deck, as specified.

2. The combination, with a center-board well made asherein described, and extending through both keel and deck, of a hand-tight piece for closing the well, as specified.

3. The combination, with the center-board well having parallel. forward and after headledges, as herein described, of a windlass, K, and removable sheave L.

4. The combination, with a center-board well constructed as herein described, and extending through both keel and deck, of a slotted hatch-combing and hand-piece fitting thereto, as herein described.

5. The combination, with a center -board well formed of iron plates M, riveted to vertical stiffening-bars, as described, of the plateknees O, secured to the vertical stiffening-bars of the well and to the iron deck-beams N, the

deck-beams N, and lodger-plates (Z, as specified.

ROBERT CENTER.

WVitnesses:

FRANK M. CLUTE, Gno. M. IIOBKINS. 

